


Beauty and the Blacksmith

by EdamamiTomoe



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F, Flirting, scene reinterpretation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 08:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16081985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdamamiTomoe/pseuds/EdamamiTomoe
Summary: As a guild blacksmith, you have an order to complete for Faezahr on behalf of a gladiator whose beauty is said to be only matched by her ferocity at the coliseum.





	Beauty and the Blacksmith

You board the Astalicia, carrying the weapons that prick Faezahr commissioned for the Ul’dahn gladiator, who’s evidently named Muriel and is, in her admirer’s words, “a warrior goddess”, simply wanting to get this day done and over with so you can get a drink with the guildmaster Brithael and conk out at the inn. You’ve spent all day working on these knuckles, bardiche, and shamshir, trying to perfect each and every one of them so you don’t get chewed out by Faezahr for not meeting his ridiculously high standards, and you could really use a break. Having to climb all these stairs up the ship while carrying all these weapons isn’t making you any less tired.

By the time you finally made it up to the deck, you’re sweating so hard you feel like you just pounded out another set of weapons at the forge. It doesn’t help that these smock and smithing gloves you’re wearing are heavily insulated too, to protect you from the heat of the forge obviously, but while you’re not pounding steel, these are just another reason for you to grab a shower as soon as possible.

Well, anyways, there’s the gladiator, time to turn in these wares and go home.

You approach the gladiator, who seems to be enjoying the view of the La Noscan port while a nearby roegadyn deckhand chills, and asks, in the usual professional tone you’ve gotten used to using with customers, “Excuse me, Muriel, from Ul’dah?”

“Hm?” The hyur turns around to face you, and gives you a smile, as she quickly eyes you up, presumably, to determine if you’re the right blacksmith. At least that’s what you think she’s eyeing you up for. “Ah yes, the gifts I was promised. It is good to know Faezahr is a man of his word, though personally I prefer a woman of action. Show me what you’ve got.”

You didn’t think you’d ever get nervous talking to a client ever again after the first few times, but now you find yourself tightening up and sweating, and it’s not just from your heavy smock and smithing gloves. Muriel gave you a look as she said ‘woman of action’ that makes you pretty sure she’s hitting on you, but at the same time you don’t want to jump to conclusions, since that might just be how she talks. Nevertheless, you actually find yourself pretty flustered now, as you procure the weapons you have smithed for her.

As Muriel begin inspecting the weapons brought before her, first with the cobalt knuckles, getting a good feel for them, putting them on, and throwing a few swift and sturdy punches into the air at some imaginary opponent, she whistles and says in a sensuous tone, “Most impressive indeed… I am humbled…”

Putting the cobalt knuckles down and next picking up the buccaneer’s bardiche, she gives it a few frighteningly powerful swing, each swing bringing out a song produced only when blade slices through air, and smirks, “With your weapons in my grip, victory is all but assured.”

You swallow nervously, cheeks flushed red as you watch her displays of martial prowess, not very inconspicuously eyeing her up at the same time, your eyes roaming over her hardened abs, so conveniently shown off by her outfit, and the sliver of her rock hard biceps unobstructed by her heavy steel gauntlets. You were told that she is a gladiator, but you had no idea she is apparently also very skilled at fist fighting and axe wielding. So masterful, in fact, that even when she picks up the cobalt shamshir to give it a test as well, she swings the sword with the deftness of a monk and the ferocity of a warrior, as if she has combined three separate martial disciplines into one. Faezahr really wasn’t exaggerating when he said Muriel is an artist.

Seemingly satisfied with the quality of your work, which you feel kind of embarrassed about now, as the quality of your work pales in comparison to the gladiator’s expertise at wielding them, Muriel puts down the shamshir and turns her attention back to you, saying in a flirtatious voice, “Faezahr certainly posseses an eye for the finer things. Yet the eye that finds beauty interests me less than the hands that crafts it, the strong, skilled hands of an artisan like yourself…”

You can feel your throat drying up as you get even more flustered, now that you are completely certain that Muriel is definitely hitting on you. She’s even eyeing you up, you can see her gaze tracing your arms, wrought and hard as the mythril you pound every day at the guild, along with the rest of your figure, as if she can see right through this heavy smock you’re wearing. As nervous as you are though, you don’t really want to just stand there awkwardly without a word while she’s obviously into you, so you try to say something, anything. The only thing that came out was, “Y-yeah…? You think… y-you think so?”

“Mhmm, but of course.” She coos softly, you only realizing how close she has drawn to you when she brings her gauntleted hand up to lift your chin so your eyes meet hers. Muriel continues, her seductive voice caressing you, “Gladiator and blacksmith make quite a pair, do we not? What is a weapon without a wielder? Or a wielder without a weapon? You and I… we complete each other.”

“A-ah, yeah, w-we do, we do, huh? Y-yeah, I think so… t-too.” You stammer, your heart hammering away in your chest like it’s trying to flatten a sheet of electrum, your body hotter than a forge lit by the primal Ifrit himself, “I-I uh… I doubt, um, I doubt that… um, as much as I would like to, I… uh, I doubt I could go to, um… U-Ul’dah, with you though, um, I… since… guild obligations and all… a-ahaha…”

Seemingly amused by your flustered response, Muriel lets go of your chin and says, “Hmhm, oh I am sure, but rest assured that I was simply teasing.” As relieved as you are that you aren’t going to have to make a heartbreaking decision to leave Limsa Limosa with a woman who knows how to make your heart dance and forsake your guild responsibilities as one of the top blacksmiths, you also feel a little disappointed. She seems to notice this though, and appends, “I would truly love to get to know better the blacksmith whose work shall lead me to victory, perhaps even behind closed doors at the inn, but I do still have other urgent matters I ought to see to before my voyage back to Thanalan. Perhaps we may meet again.”

Aw, she can’t even stay long enough for a night, that’s a shame. But you suppose this was something you should have expected, since this really was just a business delivery to a client. Her words do certainly give you hope still though, maybe you could ask Brithael for a short vacation sometimes so you can see Ul’dah for yourself… 

You nod and smile at Muriel, a bit less overheated from being flustered now, and respond, “Y-yeah, perhaps. I… uhh, once I improve my skills as a blacksmith further, I would like to… um, have the privilege of perhaps… uhh… well, um… of perhaps craft a new set of arms, far stronger than what I have made this time, for you to wield at the coliseum-?”

“Naturally, now that I have tasted the delightful blade you have crafted, nothing less than your work can satiate me.” She says with a wink, her words once again turning your cheeks rosy red. 

As tempting as it is for you to stay a while and excite yourself further spending time with Muriel, you’re well aware that she is actually fairly busy, so as the conversation comes to an end, you decide you should really head back as well. As you say your words of parting, she says to you with a warm smile, “I came to Limsa Limosa to see your wares at the old man’s behest, and found everything he promised and more. Know that in the heat of battle, as I clutch them tightly in my hands, my thoughts will be of you.”

Goodness, she really knows what to say to tug at your heartstrings, you thought as you head on your way back to the guild. Muriel’s certainly going to be the first client who’ll be staying on your mind for a while.

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on that level 45 class quest Beauty and the Bardiche that I just completed in game. I don't know how that scene plays out if you're a male character, but goodness Muriel says some pretty sapphic things, so I just had to rewrite this scene according to my own interpretation of it.


End file.
